Water, and a goodbye

Last week I was at our cabin in Dahlonega, and as I usually do when I'm up there I took a hike. Cane Creek runs through Camp Glisson where our cabin is located. It is a tributary of the Chestatee River, the water eventually going to Lake Lanier, the Chattahoochee River, and, finally, the Atlantic Ocean. On teh camp property is a waterfall, Cane Creek Falls. It's not huge as waterfalls go, maybe 50 feet high, and just about as wide, ut it's a local landmark, and in an earlier era was owned by Georgia Power and provided the power for Dahlonega. The water coming over it has a very distinctive pattern, and when it is running full it is quite impressive.

It is not running full now. I have never, in 45 years, seen so little water coming over the falls. Relatively speaking it is just a trickle coming over the falls. There were spots in teh center of teh falls that were actually dry when I was there , which I found almost unbelievable. The sad shape of the falls is just one more reminder of the critical nature of the draught we are in. I saw another sign when I drove to Gainesville to meet Josh for supper. When I drove over Squirrel Creek, it was very small, with high grass growing in places that should have had water.

In this part of the country, at least, the water crisis is becoming critical. Bans on outdoor watering will not be enough, I don't believe, to address the crisis. We need to practice stewardship of water inside our homes and businesses. And I believe we need to stop development until the situation improves. What we are doing now is unsustainable. It is stunning to hear serious talkabout the possibility of our running our of drinking water.

This will be my last blog. It is clear from my spotty entries that this is not a communication tool that matches my schedule. I will leave this up a day or two and then shut sown. Maybe down the road I will try again. Until then, God bless.

Jimmy